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Taufik loses HK Open prize money
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sun, 09/24/2006 9:14 AM
The International Badminton Federation has punished Indonesian singles ace Taufik Hidayat for walking out of the Hong Kong Open last month with a slap on the hand.
In a meeting with the often-fiery player on Saturday, the IBF ruled Taufik was not entitled to third-round prize money or any ranking points from the tournament.
IBF representative Rudy Hartono of Indonesia said Saturday that the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) had accepted the decision.
""In the 30-minute hearing today, Taufik explained his reason for walking out of the court after only four minutes. He said he was provoked by the umpire, who said that he could leave the court if he wanted to,"" Rudy said.
""The IBF decided that Taufik was wrong. And the ruling was the most just decision by the IBF, which considers Taufik an ambassador for the sport. Taufik didn't do it on purpose.""
""It is also a test for the IBF to ensure that its umpires and referees act as fairly as possible in every tournament,"" said the eight-time All England champion of the 1970s. ""(The decision) was much lighter than what the media was reporting.""
Media reports had speculated the IBF might ban the 2004 Olympics champion for between three and six months.
Taufik, who was upset with poor line calls at the tournament, said he wanted the IBF to ""learn"" from the incident.
He suggested the ruling body use an instant replay system for the game similar to the one used in professional tennis. - JP
